Lena Marsh's Arc

Chapter 13 of 24

They left the hollow at a run. The crystal pulled north, warm against Lena's palm. Snow packed hard under their boots. The fox darted ahead, green tail flashing between trunks, then stopped short at the lip of a frozen creek. It looked back at Nell and did not cross. "It's holding," Nell said. He crouched by the fox and set a hand on its shoulder. "Something on the other side." Forge came up beside Linny. "Your fox is scared of water now?" "He's smarter than you," Linny said. She did not look at him. “In fact everyone in town is smarter than you.” "That why you left it behind last spring?" "It wasn’t the town I left." Forge's jaw tightened. He turned to the creek and said nothing more. Lena stepped past them. The crystal tugged harder, north across the ice. "It's close. Whatever's guarding it is on the other bank." "Then we go around," Nell said. "There's no time." Lena held up the crystal. Its red center burned brighter than it had all night. "An hour, maybe less." Nell looked at her. His green eyes caught the low light. "Stay behind me." They crossed the ice one at a time. The far bank rose into a stand of frostwood, branches thick with rime. Between two trunks stood a shape Lena had taken for a stump. It opened its eyes. Pale, lit from inside. Not one of them. Smaller. Older. A woman's face carved into bark, roots for legs, arms folded in her lap. "Warden," Nell said, low. "Don't draw iron." Forge's hand froze on his hilt. The warden's mouth moved. No sound, but Lena felt it in her chest. A question. She stepped forward before Nell could stop her. "I came for the needle. I'll pay the toll." The warden lifted one root-hand. “It is more than you have,” the cracked voice rasped. “Your life. Or our freedom. We shall see.” Her eyes dimmed. She sank back into the trunk between the trees and was wood again. Behind Lena, Linny let out a breath. "What did she mean your life." "The woods give nothing for free." Nell did not look back. "Whatever Fox sensed is out there. And they’re scared of it." “Well, I’m not.” "Lena—" Nell started. "No." She put her hand on his chest. “Do not offer to go alone. Not again.” His hand wrapped around hers and held them. “Okay. We go together.” “Just in case?” she asked, her heart skipping. A smile. It crept along his lips in a perfect crescent. He cupped her cheek and pressed a longing kiss on her lips. “Just in case,” he whispered. Forge cleared his throat, obnoxiously loud. They parted, and Lena ran her thumb over her bottom lip. “How far?” Linny asked, the smile on her voice. The crystal pulsed once and went still in her pocket. Ten paces on, past the warden's tree. “It feels too easy,” she mumbled. A needle stood upright in a knot of black roots. Silver. Thin as a hair. It hummed when Lena knelt and drew it free. Nell's shoulders dropped a fraction. Forge exhaled. "We have it," Lena said. Linny looked at the trunk where the warden had been. "You’re right. It’s too easy.” And as if the forest agreed, a roar shook the trees.